Introducing Hackamore, coming soon to your cocktails

Posted by Matt Looker, 06 Jul 2018 | Products

It might sound like software for cyber terrorism, but Hackamore is a brand new “premium energy beverage” coming to the UK market. It contains no alcohol, no calories, no sugar, no gluten, no artificial sweeteners and no idea about how good it looks.

Which brings me to the “premium” part of “premium energy beverage”. This clear hit of natural caffeine comes in a swishly designed, sophisticated glass bottle that looks like it has come directly from some kind of Utopian future that we are almost certainly not headed towards. But, importantly, it looks great on a shelf alongside your other high-end spirits and mixers.

As for energy, Hackamore contains natural caffeine along with amino acids and b-vitamins, and one shot is equal to the same amount of caffeine you would get in one of those horrible canned energy drinks covered in garish colours and called something like “EXECUTE” in a font designed to look like electricity. But Hackamore is the clean, natural alternative to that kind of drink, made botanically and resulting in a light, smooth taste with the hint of zesty lime.

More importantly than any of this: it’s a beverage! Which means that, as well as being served as an energy shot, or as a boost in a healthy smoothie, it can also be used in cocktails. So guess how I have been using it?

After experimenting with a bottle for a couple of weeks, it’s safe to say that Hackamore is best used as substitute or part-substitute for the base of a cocktail, giving a cleaner, brighter taste to drinks, reducing alcohol content without compromising on flavour.

So here are a few drinks I came up with using Hackamore:

English Pleasure

Ok, I didn't make this one - it came as one of the many suggested serves that Hackamore sent with the bottle - but I DID come up with the idea of the bitters float rather than mixing it together in the drink. I was inspired by the neat red line on the bottle's label design, and it just seemed like too good an idea to waste.

Haquila Joust

Of course, there's no way you can experiment with anything lime-flavoured without putting it with tequila, and this was a bigger test of Hackamore's ability to hold its own against these bolder flavours. The result was this complex serve in which Hackamore's bright sweetness perfectly complemented the herbal notes of the other ingredients.

Hackaipirinha

Lastly, anything lime flavoured instantly reminds me of mojitos and caipirinhas and all the variations thereof, so I created this version, pairing the drink with cachaca and bringing banana and some chocolate notes for a more exotic feel.
For more information about Hackamore Energy, it's back story and to find more recipes, you can go to Hackamore's website, but then you knew that, because this isn't your first time using the Internet.

Tags: Hackamore Energy, non-alcoholic, mixer, new product